The Stars Shine Brighter When You're Here
by PolkaDots44
Summary: When Toshiro is assigned to the human world, Kurosaki Karin teaches him how to live life the Human-Style. Pranks,love and laughter ensue! HitsuKarin. Please R&R! Rated T
1. Chapter 1

Hey! PolkaDots44 reporting!

Welcome to my first Toshiro and Karin fic!

Read and review! :D

Disclaimer: I dont own anything in bleach, everything belongs to Kubo Tite.

Chapter 1: A boring life.

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Karin groaned as her teacher stood up from her desk holding a stack of papers. It wasn't even half way through the first week back and the teacher was already giving out homework. She could hear the other students complaining as well but decided to keep her mouth shut for once. Ichi-nii would kill her if she came home with a detention on her first week of middle school. Looking to her left, she saw her twin, Yuzu, looking at the paper with an excited expression. Only Yuzu would find something exciting about homework.

"Look Karin-Chan!" Yuzu squealed "Our first piece of homework as middle school students! Don't you feel so mature?"

Karin sighed but nodded at Yuzu. If her twin was in such a good mood Karin didn't want to be the one to wreck it. She'd leave that job to Ichi-nii and Rukia nee-san.

"Yeah, I guess… fun fun fun," Karin drawled as Yuzu put on her pouting face.

"Don't be like that Karin-Chan, we could always get Ichi-nii to help us. His friends from University might be able to lend a hand too!"

Karin almost snorted as she stood up and began packing her things away. The 'friends' Yuzu was talking about would be absolutely no help with the homework seeing as how they grew up learning how to send spirits to heaven. They knew less than Karin and Yuzu combined, and considering the girls were only 14, that was saying something. None the less, Karin nodded her head and plastered a fake bright smile on her face. It was better for Yuzu to not be included in the Shinigami ruckus. It was too big of a headache for a normal person to handle.

The girls left the classroom together and headed in the direction of their home. Every now and then Yuzu would call out a cheery farewell to her friends and Karin would glare at anyone who looked at her for too long. All in all they were quite a sight to see. One twin had the brightest smile on her face and the other looked as bored as a little kid with no toys.

When they got home, Karin kicked of her shoes and dumped her bag onto the sofa, calling out a loud "I'm home!" as she did so. After taking the plate of food Yuzu handed her, Karin made her way up to her brother's room. Yuzu would always insist on making their brother a snack and leaving it in his room for when he got home. Karin knew that her brother never ate it and gave it to his girlfriend, Rukia, instead. She walked up to the door and gave it a rough kick.

"Yo, Ichi-nii, I've got your snack here!" she called out, waiting for the door to swing open. She must have stood there for at least half a minute before she realised her brother wasn't in there. It was far too quiet. However, she could hear voices coming from the inside and she strained her ears to try and catch the conversation.

"Kawaii! Look Taichou, they have a quiz to predict who you'll marry in the future! Doesn't that sound like fun!" a voice squeaked in a high pitch. Karin raised one eyebrow and pressed her ear further against the door. She was about to stealthily open it when all of a sudden the door was flung open. Karin gave a startled yelp and crashed to the floor as whoever it was on the other side let out a very loud snort.

"Having fun ear wigging, Karin?"

When the voice reached her ears, Karin's eyed widened. She looked up and found herself looking back into mesmerising teal eyes. She couldn't stop the grin that spread across her face like a wild fire.

"Toushiro!" she exclaimed, taking his hand as he pulled her up. When she had dusted herself of, she turned back to the boy and gave him a once over. He looked a few inches taller than when she'd last saw him and his white hair was slightly longer at the front. She couldn't help noticing that these added factors made him look slightly more mature.

Toushiro smirked as he realised Karin only came up to his chin now. That was definitely something he would be holding over her for a while. He was about to say something when he was cut off by a ear piercing shriek behind him. He watched as his fukutaichou, Matsumoto Rangiku, enveloped Karin in a hug and attempted to squeeze the life out of her.

"Oh my goodness! Look at you Karin-Chan!" she sang, still choking Karin in her deadly grip, "You look so pretty! I bet Taichou noticed too, didn't you Taichou? I wanted to climb in your classroom from the window but Taichou said that I'd be causing an unnecessary fuss and that we had work to do! He didn't even care that we hadn't spoke in four months, can you believe it?"

By the time Matsumoto had finished her rant, Karin had turned a pretty shade of purple and was beginning to gasp for air. Her lungs felt as if they were on fire. She tried, unsuccessfully, to untangle herself but only ended up being strangled more. She made a desperate plea for help with her eyes as Toushiro looked on annoyed. He really didn't want to deal with the paperwork for having his fukutaichou suffocate a human.

"Matsumoto." His voice immediately got the older woman to stop squeezing Karin, but she still held the young girl in her death grip.

"Hai, Hitsugaya Taichou?" she asked sweetly, putting on an angelic face.

"Would you mind releasing Karin?" he managed to grit out from behind his teeth, "If you get sent to jail in seireitei for suffocating a human, don't think that I'll bail you out."

The threat was clear in his voice. Matsumoto let out a nervous chuckle before realising the now unconscious girl. Hitsugaya couldn't stop the cry of rage that escaped his lips.

"MATSUMOTO!"

Oh yes, thing's were never boring in Kurosaki Karin's life

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So... how was it?

Please read and review, chapter two up soon!

PolkaDots44


	2. Welcome to the real world

Thanks for all the great reviews! They really made me happy! :D

Disclaimer: Bleach is sadly not mine, and never will be... Kubo Tite owns everything :'(

Chapter 2: Welcome to the real world

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Kurosaki Karin had a headache. A skull splitting headache. All because of him. All he did was stand there and pose whilst she was being suffocated to death! He didn't even try and save her as she literally gasped for air, he just waited until she was unconscious and started spouting nonsense about jail and bailing someone out.

"…ing..oo…er…ou…" she groaned weakly, squinting her eyes at the boy who sat next to her on the sofa, his eyes staring at the television with a vacant expression. At the sound of her voice, he leaned over to make sure that she was really awake.

"Karin?" he called calmly, "Are you awake now?" Karin tended to talk in her sleep a lot, so Toushiro had to guess wether or not she had regained consciousness. So far he'd learnt that she had a secret pocky stash upstairs under the floors in Ichigo's room. When he received another groan from Karin, he leaned over further to try and catch her mumbled speech.

"What was that Karin? Speak up."

"I SAID I'M GOING TO MURDER YOU, BAKA!" Karin roared, smashing her fist right into his face. Toushiro flew back off the sofa and cursed as his head collided with the hard panelling on the floor.

To say he was shocked would be an understatement. He wasn't shocked that Karin had hit him, after all, he knew about her violent habits. No, Toushiro was shocked at the amount of reiatsu Karin had packed into her punch. It was enough to send him sprawling of the sofa in a heap. She must have been furious…

"Would you mind telling me why you punched me?" he seethed, "Or would you like to take another swing, Kurosaki?". Toushiro only ever called her Kurosaki when he was pissed off, and right now, he was extremely pissed off. When she'd fainted, he'd been kind enough to carry her to the sofa, kind enough to cover her with a blanket and kind enough to stay with her until she woke up and she thanked him by punching him in the face!

"What?" Karin's tone had a biting edge to it, "Can't the baby taichou figure out what he's done wrong? Or does he need the little human to spell it out for him?"

Toushiro was seriously confused now. He couldn't recall doing anything to upset her since he'd last saw her. Nothing had came up during his four month absence..unless…

"Karin…" he started slowly, getting up of the floor "Are you mad because I haven't contacted you in four months…?"

Karin let out a hysterical laugh and advanced towards him with a scowl on her face.

"Mad? Am I mad?" she cried, "Of course I'm mad! I'm mad that you let Matsumoto nearly kill me! I'm mad that you're a stupid taichou and hardly get to come to the human world! I'm mad that Ichi-nii is always off on some stupid hollow hunt risking his life while I'm stuck at home being useless! I'm mad that I can't do anything to help Yuzu or Ichi-nii! I'm mad… I'm mad…I'm mad at myself for shouting at you…"

Karin's voice trailed off as she sank to her knee's next to the sofa. She kept her face hidden as she stared at the floor, eyes unseeing. Toushiro's eyes never left her form as he slowly stepped towards her. Is this how Karin felt? Did she feel that she was a burden to the people who loved her? Toushiro stopped when he reached her and he crouched down so his chin was on level with Karin's head. Reaching out, he placed a gentle hand atop her head and ran his fingers through her hair comfortingly.

"Karin… if there was one word that would never be right to describe you it would be useless. You don't see what everyone else does. The first day I met you, your friends were tired and exhausted, complaining that they would have to eat spaghetti through their noses… but all I could hear was you telling them that you'd find them someone who could help them win. Last year when we all went to visit Kurosaki-San's grave, I saw Yuzu-San trying not to cry because she thought she had to be brave, then you told her that it was okay to cry if it was for a good cause because then the tears would be special and carry wishes within them. When your brother isn't here you comfort your sister and you protect her… you stop your father from acting like a… like a…well, like he usually does…"

Toushiro placed his other hand on Karin's neck and guided her head into the crook between his neck and shoulder. He gently wound his arms around her back, supporting her weight as she leaned into his comforting embrace. "Don't ever think you're useless Karin, because to me, Kurosaki Karin is one of the toughest people walking this world and the next. Remember the times when you protect the smiles of people dear to you, and swear to protect that memory with everything you have, then you'll always have something to keep you going."

Karin nodded her head against Toushiro's neck and let out a barely audible sniff. She would be damned if anyone thought she was crying over something so silly. She went to pull away from the white haired boy holding her, but his grip tightened around her and he bent his head to softly murmerring into her ear, "I'm sorry for letting Matsumoto hurt you… I didn't think that you could be beaten by someone like her," Toushiro paused before whispering slowly, "..and, if it's Karin… then I don't mind if you shout at me. Shout at me, hit me… whatever it is that you do, I'll always be there to hold you and fix it afterwards."

Karin could feel her face heat up as those kind, loving words washed over her. She was lucky to have Toushiro as a best friend, she honestly didn't know how she'd ever got on without knowing him. This time when she went to pull away, he pressed a light kiss against her temple and pulled her to her feet. When she looked at his face, he had a cool and calm expression, but Karin could see the tender look in his eyes and the slight tilt of his lips that he showed only to her. She couldn't help feeling as if all her worries had just evaporated into thin air, leaving only pure oxygen that no longer felt as if it was weighing down on her.

"Arigatou, Toushiro." She whispered, not breaking eye contact with him. He gave her a nod and then turned his attention to the front door that had just slammed open. Karin grinned as she watched Ichi-nii walk in, his hand firmly holding Rukia-nee's who was engrossed in a conversation with Yuzu. When Rukia saw Karin looking she gave her a friendly smile before addressing Toushiro. Karin's eyes zeroed in on Ichigo as his gaze flickered back and forth between herself and the tenth division taichou.

"Toushiro." Ichigo drawled icily.

"Kurosaki." Toushiro delivered coolly, smirking at Karin as she rolled her eyes at the exchange. For the first time in a long time, Karin's anxiety faded away. Her paranoia seemed to ebb away from the edges as she looked on, surrounded by four of the most important people in her life.

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"Kurosaki Yuzu," the teacher's voice called in a monotone.

"Hai sensei!" Yuzu chirped as she smiled at a moody Karin.

Ichi-nii had woken Karin up by leaking his reiatsu again. It was really starting to get on her nerves. The only one that seemed to sympathise with Karin was Toushiro. He'd asked Ichigo if he could try and keep his reiatsu under control but all he got in answer was a blank stare. Needless to say, Ichigo had no control over it what so ever. A fact that Karin very much resented.

"KUROSAKI KARIN!" The loud monotone interrupted Karin's ramblings. That wasn't a good idea.

"WHAT?" Karin yelled back, oblivious to the startled eyes of her twin. She'd noticed her sister seemed to be suffering from insomnia lately, but when she suggested Karin get some sleeping pills Hitsugaya-Kun had snorted into his cereal and Matsumoto-San had released a very loud laugh, somehow mocking Ichi-nii.

"This is the fourth time this week that your attitude has interrupted my class! If your private life is affecting your school work and class mates then I've got no choice but to keep you behind after school every day until this problem deteriorates."

Karin's mouth hung open. This couldn't be happening. Detention? It was only the second week back! Surely it was illegal for someone to get detention on the second week… right?. She slumped in her seat and let out a string of curses aimed towards her older brother. There would be hell to pay when he got home.

"Now class, we have a new transfer student today. He's come all the way from Kyoto, so let's make him feel welcome. You can come in now, Hitsugaya-Kun!" the evil teacher called, her voice all false and happy. When he walked into the classroom Karin couldn't help but smirk. He looked out of place wearing the middle school uniform, as if he were a adult trapped in the body of a child. Which, Karin mused, was actually true…

"Hitsugaya-Kun, you can take the seat over by Kurosaki-San. Karin please raise your hand, you'll be responsible for showing Hitsugaya-Kun around the school and making sure he's up to date on all the work. Think you can handle that?"

Karin scowled. This teacher was asking for trouble. "Hai Sensei, it would be an honour!" she exclaimed giving her sensei a threatening smile. Sensei stalked off muttering something about 'stupid, idiotic children…'. Karin chuckled as a pair of slippers stepped into her view. She quirked a eyebrow at the mysterious twinkle in Toushiro's eyes.

"Konichiwa, Kurosaki-San. I'm sure we'll be able to get along and I look forward to you completing my work." Toushiro said, his voice cool and confident.

Karin's eye twitched. She was sure he'd just said completing HIS work… never the less, she looked back at him with a smirk that could rival his own.

"Ohayo Hitsugaya-Kun, I'm sure we'll make a great team. Welcome to the real world." Karin sang, eyes dancing with amusement.

As the two stood chuckling away, Karin realised, he had no idea how ironic that was.

Homework, exams and evil teachers… the real world indeed!

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So, there's chapter two!

Hope you liked it!

Please R&R 3

PolkaDots44


	3. Chapter 3

Hey! I was insanely overwhelmed with those reviews!

Seriously, I love you guys!

This is for my awesome reviewers!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything bleach, Tite Kubo does! :'(

Chapter 3: Another day in her not so normal life.

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_Click, Click, Click_. The only sound in the room was the sound of Karin's pen clicking. Her sensei had asked her over and over to stop the insanely annoying clicking but Karin had responded by pointing out that after three O'clock she was technically free to do what she wanted. Needless to say, her sensei was not amused. Karin had earned herself another hour of detention, but she figured that she would only spend the hour at home being bored anyway. The sound of the timer ringing brought Karin out of her musings. She stood up slowly and flung her bag over her shoulder.

"Arigatou sensei, sayonara." She muttered as she passed the desk where her sensei sat. The teacher gave Karin a quick nod and wished her a safe walk home. Karin was a bit concerned that her teacher knew she walked but decided not to worry about it. Hardly anyone in Karakura ever got a lift home seeing as the town was so small. As she walked through the lonely hall Karin contemplated sliding down the banister to get to the bottom of the stairs. She never got the chance during the hours of school, the instant she tried the teachers all swarmed her. It was like they had a Kurosaki trouble radar installed into them. After deliberating for a moment, she decided against it.

Sighing, she trudged tiredly down the stairs, her shoes making squelching sounds as she did. She scowled when she reached the bottom step. Toushiro stood opposite her, his hands in his pockets and face expressionless. He regarded Karin's scowl with humour. She was very amusing when she was angry.

"Buzz off Shiro," she seethed "I don't need a baby sitter."

The young taichou sighed. She was always so difficult, never thanking anyone when they tried to help her. She automatically assumed they were taking pity on her or being over protective. He ruffled her hair and started walking, knowing she would follow after him either way. He heard her mumbling and smirked as she quickened her pace to walk next to him. He could read her like a book.

"So, how was detention?" he asked coolly, eyes facing forwards.

"The same as it was yesterday, and the day before that. Why do you ask?" she answered him, eyes watching him carefully.

"I felt your reiatsu flare for a minute before it calmed. I thought something had happened."

"Oh…" she said, "I suppose it does that when I get angry, I'm not a shinigami or a ryoka so I don't have a clue how to control it. Kinda like Ichi-nii."

Toushiro nodded, mentally telling himself that he would have to help her learn how. She was a walking hollow target and one day, he mused, he wouldn't be there to stop the hollow from devouring her.

"Did anything happe-" Karin's question was cut off as a huge arm swung towards them. She barely evaded the attack, only diving onto the other side of the pavement with a second to spare. Looking over she saw that Toushiro was already in his shinigami form, zanpakuto drawn and pointed threateningly at the hollow.

"Karin," he spoke, voice loud and serious. He didn't say anything else, didn't turn around to look at her. But Karin knew what to do.

"Right!" she exclaimed frantically, grabbing his limp body from the ground. She pulled the soulless body up and started running. Her feet slapped down on the sidewalk as she ran, her breath coming out in short bursts. She tried as best she could to run, knowing Toushiro was fine on his own. It would be pointless for Karin to worry about him and she knew he wouldn't appreciate it. After all, he was a taichou. Something as weak as a hollow wouldn't even get close enough to scratch him.

When she got to her house she kicked open the door and dropped Toushiro's body roughly onto the floor. She was exhausted. Karin placed her hands on her knees and attempted to draw as much breath into her lungs as possible. How she had got into such a bad shape was beyond her, she had thought that she was quite fit and healthy but apparently not fit and healthy enough. With one last burst of energy she managed to dump the body onto the sofa, letting her legs collapse underneath her.

"Woah!" a voice roared behind her "Are you okay!"

Karin looked up to see a huge man with funky red hair and weird eyebrows standing there. He was gaping at Karin as if she was something out of a zoo. But none of that registered in Karin's mind, the only thing she could think of was that a strange man was in her house and she was currently the only person in said house. She let out a strangled yelp as she delivered a swift round house kick to the mans legs.

"Oooft!" he cried, his body slumping to the floor. Karin didn't waste another second, she made a wild dash for the stairs and climbed them three at a time. As soon as she saw her brothers room, she kicked open the door and locked it behind her. Panicking, she grabbed the nearest baseball bat and held it against her. She crouched against the wall stealthily. If this was the end, she wasn't going down without one heck of a fight.

Her eyes narrowed as the floorboards near Ichi-nii's room creaked. So, the dude with weird eyebrows hadn't given up on his sick game. Karin's teeth ground against each other. Guys like him made her sick. She would show him. She'd send out a message to all the sick men of the world. Kurosaki Karin was no force to be reckoned with.

"All right, I'm gonna bust this door down if I have to, Kid!" she heard the voice call out to her. How the hell had he known where she was? She was so going to pound him if he dared to kick down the door. She prepared herself as the door was beat against, the noise of the straining bolts grating against her ears. She shrunk back as the door finally flew backwards, the handle soaring across the room and smashing the window.

Karin leapt out with a cry of vengeance and was thoroughly surprised when the weirdo grabbed her arm and threw away her bat. Immediately, she struggled against him and attempted to knee him where it hurt.

"Quit it, will you?" he roared, "I'm not going to hurt you!"

"Like hell you aren't!" Karin screamed back, panic clouding her senses, "ICHI-NII! RUKIA-NEE! TOUSHIRO!"

The 'weirdo' slapped a hand over her mouth to quieten her and Karin took the opportunity to sink her teeth into his exposed flesh. Rule number 1, never attempt to shut a girl up. She will hurt you. He shrieked like a girl and drew his hand away. Karin went to hurt him again when a cold wind tore through the room. She watched as the curtains and furniture frosted over, leaving a trail of ice in the middle of the room. She knew that with all the ice in the room she should be feeling cold… but for the first time in her life… she felt warm.

She barely noticed that the hand gripping her arm had vanished and that she was now pressed up against a firm, muscled body. She peeked up and saw Toushiro stood there, one arm wrapped securely around her waist. He had positioned her so that her back was facing the intruder and from where she was standing, she could just make out Toushiro's zanpakuto pointing towards the red haired pervert. His beautiful teal eyes looked murderous, and for the first time since she had met him, Karin felt a thrill of fear enter her. This boy.. no, this man, who so gently wrapped his arm around her waist was dangerous. He was someone who could install fear into the hearts of other with a single glare. Shaking her head, she dispersed her thoughts. Toushiro wasn't dangerous, he was a hero. He didn't install fear into hearts, he fought to his last breath until the fear in those hearts vanished. He was safety.

"Abarai Fukutaichou," he growled, voice threatening, "If I were you, I would refrain from laying your hand on her ever again. I won't have anyone else touching my pupil, especially the likes of you."

The red haired Fukutaichou's mouth dropped open. This was the girl?

"Taichou, you can't mean…" he trailed off, voice fading away.

"Hai, Abarai. This is she. Kurosaki Karin, chosen by the Soutaichou to train and live in soul society under my supervision and guidance. She is the new hope for the next generation of shinigami."

Karin's mouth dropped open.

WHAT. THE. HELL?

* * *

Hehee!

Cliffy! :D

Read and review for more KarinXToushiro spice!

Love, PolkaDots44 xxx


	4. Through different eyes

Wow!

Those reviews were amazing! Thankyou everyone!

To all those that have reviewed or put my story on alert or favourite's, and to all those that have added me to your author favourite's... THANKYOU! :)

I'm seriously happy!

Right, as thanks, here's a little bit of KarinXToushiro action!

Chapter 4: Karma - defining life since... forever...

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"I refuse."

"Excuse me?"

"I said I refuse, dumbass…"

"DON'T CALL ME A DUMBASS YOU BRAT!"

"Why not? It's about time someone told you the truth, pervert."

"How am I a pervert? I came to check on you as a favour to Ichigo and then yo-"

"ENOUGH!" roared an irritated voice.

Karin and Renji's mindless banter came to a halt as Toushiro stood against the wall,seething. He'd had a bad enough day trying to think of an explanation for his arrival on Earth without frightening Karin half to death, then Abarai turned up and ruined it.

"First things first," he dictated, "Abarai Fukutaichou, why are you here?"

Immediately, Renji stood to attention, puffing his chest out proudly as the Taichou spoke his title. Karin let out a poorly concealed snort. He thought so highly of himself that it was impossible not to laugh. Toushiro sent a glare her way but she only let out another snort. Renji cleared his throat and turned to face Hitsugaya.

"Yamamoto Soutaichou sent me," he stated proudly

"Can't blame the dude for wanting to get rid of you…" Karin mumbled snobbishly, "he probably threw a party the minute you were gone…"

"_Anyway_," Renji continued, voice rising to drown out Karin's mumbles, "he said that I was to bring Kurosaki Ichigo back to Soul Society for training,but carrot top asked me to check on his sister's before we left,"

At the mention of her brother, Karin's eyes narrowed. What could they possible want Ichi-nii for now? Hadn't he already done enough to help them? She couldn't stop the scowl that spread across her face. Something was going on. One Kurosaki sibling was leaving to be trained and another was being forced into Soul Society to train. Something was definitely up.

"So let me get this straight. You want me and my brother to just skip off to Soul Society, leave our family behind here and train to be some shinigami of the future?" Karin all but screeched.

Renji rolled his eyes at her dramatic ways and Toushiro nodded his head, expression as stoic as ever. He could tell she was frustrated, but she'd always spoken of being able to protect her sister and father, this was the perfect opportunity for her!

"You're always saying how you wish you were stronger!" he exclaimed, "I don't see why you won't go, this is the opportunity you've been waiting for,"

"Do you have anyone important to you, Shiro?" Karin asked calmly, eyes locked on his. She let her long hair fall behind her shoulder and ignored Reni's protest at the young Taichou's nickname.

Toushiro was honestly surprised. What was with that random question and how the hell was he meant to answer it? He wanted to answer her honestly, wanted to say to her, "You, Karin. You're important to me!" Instead he settled for holding her gaze and nodding slowly.

"I do," he revealed, "but what has that got to do with anything?" Karin didn't say anything for a few minutes, she tangled the end of her plait in her right hand and walked towards him. Ignoring Renji, she grabbed Toushiro's hand with her free one and started dragging him behind her. When the Fukutaichou made to follow, Toushiro waved his hand, signalling for him to leave. Renji gave a quick nod and flashed stepped away.

Karin led the confused boy behind her all the way down to the kitchen. She stopped at the bottom of the stairs and the two stood in silence, observing the scene before them. Yuzu stood with a spatula in her hand, singing away to the radio as she cooked. Her big brown eyes were practically shining with happiness as she twirled her way around the numerous pots and pans. She looked completely at ease, as if she was born to be in the kitchen.

"If I leave, it'll tear the family apart again," Karin whispered, her voice barely audible. Toushiro squeezed her hand encouragingly and she continued, "When Mom died, Yuzu had no clue what to do so she just cleaned and cooked. All this time, I've been her rock, so I'm sorry, but no matter what you people say… I'm not going anywhere. Not right now at least."

Toushiro pulled her body into his arms and rested his chin atop her head. It was amazing how mature she was at her age. He let out a small sigh and pressed his lips to her hair, breathing in her fresh mandarin scent. Toushiro loved her new long hair, the way her raven tresses curled at the ends fascinated him. He felt Karin's neck and cheeks heat up when he left a gentle kiss on her scalp. He couldn't help but pull her closer so that their chests were nearly touching. Toushiro had no idea what had possessed him to do that, but he didn't have any intention of letting her go.

"T-Toushiro?" Karin questioned him meekly.

"Hmm?" he breathed,

"What are you doing?"

"What my heart is telling me to," he replied softly, not wanting to disrupt the tender moment, "Do you want me to let go?"

He waited patiently for her answer, not wanting to pressure her. He'd accepted that although this was new for him, he had been alive for a lot longer than Karin. She was bound to be confused with the way he was acting. After what seemed like hours, she gave her answer.

"I don't want you to let go…" she confirmed quietly, "don't let go… please…"

Karin's hands hesitantly landed on his chest and she leaned further into his gentle embrace. She blushed even more when she felt him place another kiss against her scalp and his arms wound around her waist, pulling her flush against him. She buried her face in his chest to hide her embarrassment.

"If you don't want to train in Soul Society, then that's okay," Toushiro told Karin.

"It's not that I don't want to train, because I do. I really do!" she replied, "Isn't there any way of being trained here in the living world? I could teach you how to fit in with humans in return, or how to cook, I'll do anything…"

Toushiro considered her offer. He supposed that learning to fit in with the humans would be beneficial to future missions… it would certainly make his life easier in the long run. It would also give her brother a squad to train with if he was here in the living world training Karin, seeing as how he was a future candidate to become a captain.

"I'm not making any promises, but I'll speak to Yamamoto about it. I think he might just agree though."

He pushed Karin back gently, still keeping his arms wrapped around her, and saw that she had an huge grin on her face. He felt his heart skip a beat as she looked up at him with such happy eyes.

"Arigatou Toushiro! You really are the best, you know that?"

Toushiro didn't say anything, he only let a small smirk cover his face as he slowly leant towards her. He could feel Karin's breathing hitch as his face neared hers and he saw the flash of confusion and fear cross her eyes. What was he doing? He wasn't going to kiss her was he…? She found her eyelids struggling not to flutter shut as he leant his forehead against her own. She gave in to her inner eyelid struggle and waited for Toushiro's lips to meet her own. She could feel his breath fanning across her face and her heart gave a giant leap when-

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING WITH MY SISTER?"

Yup, karma really was a bitch.

* * *

Hehehe!

Wow, Ichigo sure has bad timing, ne?

Tell me what you think please! :)

PolkaDots44 signing out! xx


	5. Chapter 5

Well folks, thanks for all the great reviews! You guys are seriously the best!

Here's another chapter, though this isn't as filled as the others.

Chapter 5: We're all a game of cat and mouse

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Mortified. That's exactly what Karin was feeling right now. Not only had her brother walked in on an almost kiss between her and a boy, he'd walked in on an almost kiss between her and a taichou. Things weren't looking good for her right now. She pulled herself away from Toushiro without looking him in the eye. She was sure she would die of embarrassment if she so much as looked at him. As it so happened, she couldn't look at her brother either. So she chose to just stare at the floor instead.

"Ichi-nii, it's not… we weren't… it was…" she stammered, trying to piece together a sentence. She felt Toushirou place a hand on her shoulder and she immediately stiffened up, remembering what had happened. He'd almost kissed her… he wanted to kiss her. Karin was so confused. Was Toushirou making fun of her by trying to kiss her? Did he actually have romantic feelings for her? And if he did, wasn't that against the law in Soul Society?

Karin's head was spinning. She had to get away from them. Shrugging Toushirou's hand off her shoulder, she quickly ran to the door, only to get blocked by Ichigo right at the kitchen.

"Where are you going Karin?" he questioned suspiciously, eyes narrowed.

"No where. Any where. Some place that isn't here. Move." Karin demanded, fixing her brother with a cold stare.

Ichi-nii was just about to respond when a foot came flying through the air and smashed into his head. She'd never been happier to see her father in her life. He gave her an thumbs up as she walked passed him and he started prattling on about how Ichigo had let his guard down too easily. It was at times like these that Karin shamelessly admitted that she loved her father, weirdness and all.

"Arigatou Otou-San!" she called, slipping out the house. She broke into a light jog as she headed in a completely random direction, letting her feet guide her. Karin breathed in some air and held it for a while before releasing it, just like her Okaa-San used to do. She felt a bit of her embarrassment fade away as she did. There was nothing like a late night run to calm her down. She passed Rukia-nee in her shinigami form and pretended that she couldn't see her. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Rukia begin to tail her, no doubt on orders from a certain brother of hers.

"_Fine. If that's how you wanna play, then bring it."_ Karin thought.

She made a sharp turn to her right and ran flat out at full speed, twisting and turning through various alley ways. She rushed passed all the late night shoppers still walking home and a few people took it upon themselves to tell her to head home. She gave them half a glance before speeding up even more. Karin could still feel Rukia behind her, jumping from roof to roof.

"_How the hell is she still tracking me?"_ Karin thought in exasperation, _"she shouldn't be able to!"_

Karin made a last attempt at ditching the raven haired shinigami still chasing after her before admitting that it was pointless. No matter where she seemed to go, Rukia always found her. Like she had some sort of tracking radar and was tuned into Karin. Then it dawned on Karin. Tracking radar… Rukia was tracking her reiatsu! If only Karin knew how to hide her reiatsu, then she'd loose her in an instant. Whipping out her phone, Karin called the only person she thought could help.

"Come on!" Karin growled as the phone rang, "pick up you baka!"

"Hello?" a bored voice drawled from the phone.

"Jinta!" Karin all but screamed, "I need your help, I have a shinigami trailing me and I need to get rid of my reiatsu!"

"What the hell Kurosaki? How am I meant to help you?"

"I don't know, get hat and clogs to think of something!"

"He's not here right now, he said something about making your brother train some more… any way the only one here is Yoruichi-San. Go bother someone else."

"Fine!" Karin yelled, "I guess I'm on my own! Arigatou Jinta, see you at school!"

Karin hung up before Jinta could say anything more. With a sigh she shut the phone. She didn't care if Rukia was still chasing her, she just wanted to relax. She passed the soccer pitch and kept walking up the hill, heading to where she knew he'd be waiting. When he used to have rare visits to the human world, he'd wait in his spot on the hill over looking Karakura. Because he knew she'd be playing soccer and he knew she would come here to check, just in case.

He didn't say anything as she came closer. He just kept his eyes on her. Assessing her body for any signs that she was hurt. She didn't look up at him, couldn't bring herself to say anything. She could only stand there and wait. She didn't even know what she was waiting for.

"You need to concentrate." He finally said, voice soft.

"Huh?" Karin uttered with a confused expression.

"To hide your reiatsu, you need to concentrate. Imagine the particles in the air being sucked into your body but instead of normal particles it's reishi, bits of spirit particles."

She found herself nodding along, drinking in every word he spoke as if it was a new language to learn. She didn't know when he'd come to stand in front of her, but she registered somewhere in her mind that his eyes looked slightly sad. She didn't like his eyes when they looked at her with so much sadness, so much loneliness.

"I'm sorry, Karin." Toushirou whispered, staring into her dark black eyes. "I didn't mean to upset you and I apologise for my actions back at your house. They were uncalled for. In future, I'll tell you if I plan to touch you again, and when that time comes, will you tell me what you think?"

Karin was stunned. Toushirou was stood right in front of her, speaking the words. But he sounded so much different. He sounded withdrawn, resigned… it made her heart physically ache to hear him speak like that.

"Baka." Karin mumbled, giving him a soft smile, "I thought you weren't supposed to let me go?"

As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she felt Toushiro's arms wind around her. He rested his chin atop her head and placed another tentative kiss on her scalp. She heard his quiet sigh and she could feel his lips tugging up into a smile.

"I can't say that I know how I feel about this Toushirou… I'm confused and a little bit frightened. But I promise I'll try and understand. Is that enough for now?"

Toushirou tightened his hold on her and brought her into a very intimate hug, well aware that they were being watched by Kuchiki Rukia.

"Yeah…" he breathed, "this is enough for now."

* * *

Well, there you folks have it!

Now, I've got a favour to ask...

I'm having trouble creating an OC for this story. They won't have a major part but they will pop up now and again. So if anyone wants to have a OC they create featured, feel free to PM me with details about the OC (personality, looks, attitude etc.).

Please review!

Hitsugaya-Sama likes reviews o.0

PolkaDots44 over and out!~


	6. Chapter 6

Heh...Heh...Heh..

Uum... I apologise for the lateness of this chapter. I really have no excuse... :'(

Special thanks to Rossetto-Chan for creating a brilliant OC called Yoko!

Disclaimer: I don't own bleach Tite Kubo does. I don't own Yoko, she is the property of Rossetto-Chan. I do however, own my OC Ryuu.

Hope you enjoy!

* * *

After Toushirou had released Karin he gave her a soft smile. His eyes looked a lot less lonely, Karin noted. Returning his smile, the two began the long trek back to the Kurosaki household. Along the way they chatted about the lessons that would undoubtedly be happening in the future. Karin wasn't sure what was in store for her but every time she thought about it, butterflies would erupt in her stomach. It wasn't that she doubted her abilities (not that she had any abilities yet…) it was more a sense of foreboding. She'd never liked not knowing about something… it always gave her a ominous feeling.

As Karin prattled on, Toushirou ever so slightly turned his head to look over his shoulder. His teal green eyes locked on the petite figure of Kuchiki Rukia, hovering in the distance. With an affirmative nod of his head, Rukia gave the captain a bow before flash stepping away. Her mission was to watch over Karin, but she knew the younger girl would be safe with the tenth squad taichou.

"Eh? Toushirou…?" Karin said hesitantly, squinting ahead.

Toushirou cocked an eyebrow at her and looked ahead, trying to figure out what she was squinting at. After a minute or so looking, he turned his attention back to the still squinting Karin.

"What's up?" he finally asked, though he wasn't sure if he really wanted to know. Sometimes Karin's mind had the tendency to wander onto random topics. Even Toushirou was wary of her, and he was her best friend.

"There's a girl stood over there… waving at me… wearing a Shihakushō*…" she trailed off, face confused. She didn't know any female shinigami besides Rukia-Nee and Matsumoto-San. But this shinigami seemed to know her… or was it Toushirou she was waving at? Looking over, Karin saw that he too was sporting a confused expression. He obviously didn't know this shinigami either.

(A/N: Shihakushō* – Shinigami uniform literally 'garment of dead souls')

The girl must have realised by their expressions that they were confused because the next thing Karin knew, she was flying through the air and had landed in front of them, zanpakuto in hand. The next thing Karin knew, she was being pushed behind Toushirou who had left his gigai. He too had brought out his zanpakuto. Toushirou's eyes took in the shinigami standing before him. Average height, long black hair reaching her waist, and brown eyes focused on the girl behind him. He let loose a growl and shifted so that he blocked Karin from view.

"Identify yourself, shinigami." Toushirou ordered, standing to his full height. In the back of his mind he registered the fact that he was taller than this girl, he could easily intimidate her. He took it a step further and let some of his reiatsu leak, but upon hearing Karin's gasp of pain, he quickly drew it back in.

'Damnit! I haven't got her used to high amounts of reiatsu yet!' he thought, mentally berating himself. He snapped back into reality when the girl finally spoke. Her voice was quite high, much like that of a young teenage girl.

"My name?" she giggled, eyes dancing with amusement, "my name is Yoko, Hitsugaya Taiiiichoou!" She gave Toushirou a quick bow and peeked round him to take another look at Karin. Karin held the girl, Yoko's, gaze. She wouldn't back down to this shinigami, even if it was at something pointless like a staring contest. Yoko seemed to be thinking along the same line as Karin as she leant forward and grinned, her eyes never leaving Karin's.

It was Toushirou who broke the staring match. He pulled Yoko back to her original position and risked a glance at Karin behind him. She still looked confused but she had a small grin on her face, obviously finding Yoko amusing. She laughed when she was the murderous expression of his face. His eyebrows were furrowed and she could practically see the steam coming out of his ears. He was clearly the superior in this situation, yet both girls were treating him without the proper respect.

"What's your purpose in being here, Yoko?" The Taichou asked, his usual stoic expression returning.

"My purpose?" Yoko questioned, tipping her head to the side.

Toushirou gritted his teeth. He had no idea if she was playing dumb or if she was genuinely confused, but either way he was annoyed. "Yes. Your purpose." He growled, "As in, what do you want?"

Karin gulped as she saw Yoko's grin widen. The shinigami's eyes seemed to almost sparkle with mischief. Normally, Karin would love having a front row seat at times like this, however, she was beginning to think it would be wise for them to leave. This shinigami was obviously asking for trouble and Karin had a feeling she was about to make it.

"I want her!" Yoko sang. She lunged at Karin, arms stretched out towards the young Kurosaki. Karin let out a panicked yell when a man with green hair pulled her out of the way. He had a huge blue X going across his face and his clothes reminded Karin of the colour of Toushirou's eyes. The green haired man stayed by Karin's side as Toushirou lunged at Yoko, zanpakuto at the ready. However, he never got to her. Just before Toushirou's sword was about to come down on Yoko, a man suddenly appeared and blocked the attack. He was quick to come to Yoko's defence, deflecting all Toushirou's attempts to get to her.

"Ryuu Sama! Don't fight with him, please!" Yoko screeched, pulling on the man's arm. As soon as she said the words, Ryuu's attack holted. His eyes levelled with Toushirou's and he slowly took five steps back, lowering his zanpakuto. Toushirou, sensing the battle coming to a halt, quickly made his way to Karin's side. Placing a tender hand on her cheek, he leaned down to whisper to her;

"Are you alright?" His eyes were desperately seeking reassurance that she was okay, roaming every square inch of her face. He nodded to Hyorinmaru in thanks. If he hadn't of pulled Karin out of the way, things would have gotten ugly. The green haired man simple bowed his head and faded back into Toushirou's zanpakuto, leaving a trail of ice behind as he did so. Karin could only nod mutely in response to the taichou's question. She could feel a blush painting her face with every word he said. _'He fought for me… he was fighting to protect me…' _Karin realised. She wanted to say thanks to him but she wasn't sure how. How could she thank him without over stepping the boundaries? They were already walking a fragile line as it was.

"Baka. Starting fights with girls… you're a regular playground bully…" she mumbled, daring to look up at his face. Toushirou just chuckled and patted her head fondly. Even without her saying the word's he knew what she meant. He admired how shy she had become since he returned. It seemed like Karin had finally allowed her mask to slip off for him, bit by bit. She wasn't as violent as she used to be and he rarely saw her frown anymore. It was a nice change, he concluded. Seeing her able to smile more freely lifted some of the weight in his heart. His girl was shaping up to be one amazing person.

By the time Karin had stepped away from him, she realised that Yoko and 'Ryuu Sama' were gone. It seemed Toushirou had only just realised too as he let out a string of curses aimed towards them. Sighing half heartedly, Karin dragged him back down the path towards her house.

* * *

"You've got to be kidding me." Karin groaned when she walked in. Sat on the sofa talking animatedly with her father was the shinigami from earlier, Yoko. For once she was immensely grateful that Toushirou had patrol right now. If he had saw Yoko he would have ended up attacking her again. Dumping her bag by the door, Karin stomped over to the pair and pointed an accusing finger at Yoko.

"You! Why are you here?" she seethed, eyes narrowing. Yoko blinked before answering her, though she seemed nervous all of a sudden.

"You wouldn't believe me, so I don't see why I should explain it to you." Yoko stated calmy, declining politely when Isshin offered her a bowl of ramen.

"Try me." Karin challenged, sitting down opposite the girl. Not that she got a closer look at her, Yoko resembled her slightly. They had the same colour hair and their brown eyes almost completely matched.

"My darling daughter, wouldn't you rather have some-" Isshin started dramatically but was cut off by Karin's foot making contact with his face. Karin didn't say anything as she heard her father start preaching to the Misaki poster hung on the wall, she just calmly waited for Yoko to explain.

"We're cousins." Yoko finally spoke, her tone had turned serious and her eyes were no longer full of mischief. They were calm and focused. She held up a hand as Karin went to say something, "Let me explain, Karin-Chan. Isshin is my uncle, when I died and was sent to Rukongai all I remembered was my last name, Kurosaki. I was in one of the first districts when I nearly passed out from hunger. One of the taichou's found me and asked my name. When he heard it, he immediately brought me over to your dad's squad."

By this point, Karin's jaw had dropped open. Everything in Yoko's story added up so far, it seemed like she was telling the truth. "When Isshin-Oji saw me, he said I looked just like his sister. He went back to the human world where I died and he confirmed from my gravestone that I was his niece. I came here today because I wanted to meet you. Matsumoto-San kinda let it slip to me that you were alive…"

Karin had so many questions she wanted to ask her 'cousin'. She wanted to know why she had become a shinigami. Did she remember her human life? Had she met Karin's mother? Did Ichi-nii know her? But in the end she settled for;

"Who was that man earlier, the one that saved you?"

Yoko's eyes once again sparkled, but this time it was with adoration. She let out a high pitched giggle and came to sit next to Karin, holding her hand tight. "That was Ryuu-Sama!" she giggled, a blush adorning her face, "he's my fiancé, isn't he wonderful?"

"Fiancé?" Karin sputtered. Yoko was engaged? She barely looked eighteen, not to mention Ryuu looked to be about twenty two years old. "You're getting married to that guy? How old are you?"

"I know what you're thinking, Karin-Chan. But it's really not like that. When Isshin-Oji was exiled, I was left by myself. I wasn't a shinigami so I couldn't stay in the seiretei… Ryuu-Sama took me in on the condition that I would attend the Shinigami Academy. He was in his final year, so he said we could work together to become shinigami. At first, he treated me with the respect that he gave everyone else… but when we started talking more, I realised how much more my life was when I was with him… so when he proposed… I said yes. And to answer your question, I've just turned 415, I look good for my age, right?".

Karin snorted and was about to make some sarcastic comment about anti wrinkle products when she sensed another presence. She blinked when she saw Ryuu enter the room and come to sit by Yoko. He had a calm expression on his face and bowed politely to Karin as he passed.

"My name is Wakabi Ryuu, an honour to meet you Kurosaki-Chan." He uttered, expression still the same. Karin bowed back and uttered a quick 'likewise' before observing the couple. Yoko was practically brimming with adoration as Ryuu settled next to her. Karin watched her cousin's face light up as Ryuu patted her head fondly.

"How long do you intend to stay, cousin Yoko?" Karin asked sheepishly, not wanting to interrupt their private moment.

"Uuum… Ryuu-Sama said he was happy to stay here for however long I wanted… I've always wanted to experience this 'school' the human's have. I think I'll tag along! Isshin-Oji already sorted it out. By the way, Karin-Chan, what's the relationship between you and Hitsugaya Taichou?" Yoko sang, hugging Ryuu's arm.

Karin's face flushed as she thought of how to answer. In her mind they were best friends, but with everything that had happened lately she wasn't sure what they were anymore. All she knew was that Toushirou was important to her. He fit into her life somewhere and she wasn't sure there was a label for that important part. Before she could answer however, Toushirou answered for her.

"Well, Kurosaki Yoko." He started, smirk in place, "Karin's my special girl and I'm the one who protects her. I don't like it when people go after my special girl, and you see when she get's threatened, I won't hesitate to step in. Got it?"

Although the speech was aimed towards Yoko, Karin could tell it was truly aimed at Ryuu. Her point was proved when he stood up and shielded Yoko, eyes narrowed dangerously. Karin's eyes found Yoko's and in that instant she knew the two of them were thinking the exact same thing: they'd have to keep the boys away from one another.

Karin sighed, raking her hand through her long hair. It had just occurred to her that both males would be attending school together tomorrow. In the same class. In the same room. For six hours.

Oh joy.

* * *

So... what do you think?

Let me know your opinions on Yoko and Ryuu (I'm sure Rossetto-Chan would love some feedback on her character!)

Once again, special thanks to my friend Rossetto-Chan!

Please R&R... Or else Hitsugaya Sama will cry...

PolkaDots44 over and out!~


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